Govt. employees protest against Quota Bill in Lucknow

December 17, 2012 | National News | Written by

Lucknow, Dec 17: The government employees staged a protest here on Monday demanding that the bill seeking to provide quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in promotions is withdrawn.

The state government employees, who pulled down posters of Sonia Gandhi from her party’s office, raised slogans against the Congress President and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

“We are opposing the new law that would reserve promotions in government jobs. This is public anger. We have to take our fight forward so that the new law that would reserve promotions in government jobs is not passed,” said one of the protestors here.

“We will fight for our rights in the Supreme Court,” he added, when asked about the next course of action if the quota bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha.

The irate government employees, who have gone on a strike to oppose the move, also raised slogans against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati.

The Rajya Sabha will vote on the Quota Bill at 5 p.m. today.

Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has termed the proposed legislation on SC/ST quota in promotion to be anti-national, has hinted at withdrawing support from the Congress-led UPA Government if the bill is passed.

Minister of State in Prime Minister’s office, V Narayanasamy, introduced the Quota Bill in the Rajya Sabha earlier on Thursday.

The bill that seeks to provide reservation in government jobs for SC/STs resulted in chaos inside the Parliament last week with unruly scenes and disruptions being witnessed in the Rajya Sabha, including a walkout by the Samajwadi Party.

The Quota Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the Monsoon Session, but could not be taken up due to disruption on coal block issue.

The Bahujan Samaj Party has been demanding that the bill be passed, but the Samajwadi Party (SP) is opposing it. (ANI)